Good day everyone,

The other day I removed the radio unit as per instructions I found from several of the threads on this forum and I'm happy to say that it came out without any troubles. However when I got the head unit out, I was unable to disconnect the power lead. I'm going to attempt removing the head unit completely and then bring it to an Alpine service center here and try to get it fixed, I dont know whats wrong with it.

Haha being a scientist, I've never invested so much time without ANY positive results Does anyone know what replacement head unit will fit? I've been told numerous times by the large chain stores that "I'll need a custom job" which was quoted at something almost at $1000. If thats the case I'll buy another x300 and harvest parts from it.

The last problem or issue I need your expert help is in regards to fixing the headliner which has decided to sag quite badly over the rear seats. How would I go about fixing/re-gluing and what products do you recommend?

A million thanks to you experts I'd be lost with you guys

Cheers,

Mike

 

pretty much any single space deck will fit in the space, its just the slope will make it so it will have to be recessed maybe 2 in. which to me looks funny but others like it. it is all in your opinion. what i did was i took the old face plate off the jaguar deck and cut out the insides to fit it around the new deck (took about an hour to grind it all away). this way it looks like it flows with the slope. also someone on the forum found a place that has this peice but idk where.

 

http://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/autol...l-p-14776.html heres the peice you can buy. looks almost the same to what i made just depends if you want to spend the time or spend the money i guess.

 

Power lead? I think you're mistaken. The unit gets it's power via the main harness (the largest plug). It's probably the aerial lead you're having trouble with. It just pulls out and sometimes can require some force. The socket is recessed, so it might look a bit confusing...

The sagging headlining is due the thin layer of foam between the liner material and the ceiling decaying (usually caused by heat over time), it's not a failure of the stock adhesive. There isn't any way to just stick the lining back on, as both surfaces will be covered with powdery, decayed foam. You really need to get new lining material.

 

Oubadah I think you are right,

I was getting my wires cross (no pun intended haha)
After posting I went back out and took the radio out and proceeded to disconnect every wire going into the Radio, the gound, the main harness, the black plug (directly under the ground), and the gray plug. It is the aerial lead, or thats what I assume it has to be. It's the black wire that seemingly is hardwired into the head unit, but you say it just requires some force to remove? Well thats what I'll be doing right now, then its off to the nearest Alpine dealer/service center (just down my street)

Ah I was worried that it was going to require me purchasing a whole new headliner. Well it can't be that expensive if I install it myself....

I'll keep you guys updated on my radio progress since it seems that there are a few newbies like me experiencing the same problems.

Thank you all for your help!!!

 

Alright so after much calling and being told by Apline that the deck was never made by them (sadly they're mistaken) I've managed to locate a head unit from a totaled 96 VDP. I now the tape deck doesn't work but I'm fine with that SINCE it was only $30 for the head unit. At least this will tell me for sure whether or not the wiring in the car is also screwed up. I also took the power mast unit out of the trunk of that car, how could you not at $40 haha

One other thing Oubadah,

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...t=stereo+error

I went to your older post about the Stereo error and looked at the photo. I opened my deck up to compare and I found out that that SMD component was not solder in my unit. Would that have any bearings on the problems I've been having with my radio?

 

As far as I know that particular SMD relates only to the CD player inoperative.

Not saying that mine is the final word....


Cheers
DD

 

Thank you Doug for your input as well. You all are very helpful and making own/repairing these cars a lot less stressful.

I do have one final question, the radios from 1995-1997 are all compatible with VDP's? What I mean is that if I was to buy a used radio from a 1995 XJR would it have all the connections in the back for the CD changer, the amp etc?

I Just want to make certain before I buy a $150 replacement

 

What exactly was wrong with your head unit in the first place?

Vanden Plas, XJ6, XJ Sport, Sovereign, Majestic... - all means nothing to the stereo. What matters is that there are only two types of stock sound system in the X300: Standard and 'Premium'. And I'm pretty sure both setups used the same head unit. I'm also fairly sure that parts from different years are interchangeable. Sometimes they will look different (eg. the CD unit in my 1995 X300 looks different to my dads 1996 X300 CD unit), but the sockets/interfaces are all the same.

That said, there were some cars that came out without the CD changer in the trunk - the head units for those cars may have had the CD function disabled then??? I'm not sure, just make sure you get a head unit that can control your changer.

By the way, the tape mechanism just unplugs from the mainb PCB of the head unit, so perhaps you can swap the tape mechanism from your old head unit, to the $30 one?

 

FWIW, I have four X300 radios (original and three others. Long story) and they are all the same in appearance and function and all can be interchanged. My car has CD and Premium sound, by the way.

I've opened a couple of them up and have noticed some minor internal differences with respect to the circuit boards but they all function the same and have the same external connections.

From this I conclude that either A) I'm very lucky and got three that are from CD/Premium sound cars or B) a radio from any X300 will work in any other X300, with or without CD/Premium options. The latter seems more likely.

Cheers
DD

 

*UPDATE*

Alright so I received a package in the mail from an auto wrecker near the Buffalo-Ontario boarder. It had a note that said, "sorry that the tape doesn't work and that I couldn't get it out of the holder" So this man sent me the replacement radio I ordered along with the housing for the A/C module, a completely perfect clock module, all still in the plastic housing. Needless to to say I was pretty happy with getting more parts for free, the bonus of course being that the radio works, including the tape deck!

I'm floored at the quality of sound that the system can produce, makes me love my car even more.

I did discover that the rear speaker needs to be replaced, it rattles something awful. I'm fairly sure its blown but I don't know what size it is. I was told by futureshop that it was a sub however I'm not sure what to make of it.

Does anyone know what the speaker in the rear, slightly off center could be?


Thank you all again! I have music back in my car and can still hear her purr when I want to

 

Yeah, that's a sub woofer.

Mine began rattling some time back. The other day I decided to remove it for a good look-see. I was actually trying to size-up the situation prior to purchasing some sort of aftermarket replacement, as there is very little room in that area.

A new one from Jaguar is stupid-expensive at about $200.
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WARNING WARNING

Audiophiles among us please cover your eyes or switch to a different thread. I know you'll be horrified at what follows. :-)
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In the end I was able to repair the speaker myself rather easily. The plastic ring around the circumference of the cone had come loose and was easily glued back into position. Additionally, a section of the cone itself was split away from the frame. After experimenting with several silicone adhesives I had to find the one that was most flexible when dry, I ran a heavy bead in the area of the separation to rejoin the cone to the frame.

Worked like a charm. No more rattles and I can now readjust my fader and bass settings back to normal :-)


Cheers
DD

 

Thank you very much for the information Doug. That give me hope that the sub woofer can be repaired since all the car audio places around here run for the hills at the mention of Jaguar.

I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of how to remove the sub woofer. Would I need to take the amp out first and fold down the backing in the trunk or is there some way of accessing it via the interior.

You are right though, Jaguar Canada quoted me $300 for the sub alone

 

to remove the sub you have to take out the rear seats. to do this you have to take off the fuse covers below the seat by where your feet would go. then remove the screws that hold the bottom portion in and work your way up. there should be like 8 or so screws total. it sounds like a big job but really doesnt take much time to do at all. best of luck.